Being obese can raise the risk of dying early by 50 per cent, a major study shows.
Even being slightly overweight raises the likelihood of serious illnesses like Type 2 diabetes and arthritis.
The survey of 2.8million Britons concluded that those who are above a healthy weight are at a heightened risk of developing ten out of 12 severe health conditions.
Being obese can raise the risk of dying early by 50 per cent, a major study shows. The survey of 2.8million Britons concluded that those who are above a healthy weight are at a heightened risk of developing ten out of 12 severe health conditions including stroke, heart failure or an irregular heartbeat, angina, sleep apnoea and chronic kidney disease
These include stroke, heart failure or an irregular heartbeat, angina, sleep apnoea and chronic kidney disease.
With more than a quarter of UK adults classed as obese, and around six in ten as overweight, health experts say the findings are ‘hugely worrying’ for the country and the NHS.
Researchers, who used anonymous medical records to track people’s health over a decade, divided them into five groups based on their body mass index (BMI), which is calculated by dividing weight by height.
People were either a normal weight for their size, overweight with a BMI of 25 to 29.9, obese with a BMI of 30 to 34.9, more obese with a BMI of 35 to 39.9, or ‘morbidly obese’ with a BMI of 40 to 45.
The results, presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Glasgow, show the heaviest people were 50 per cent more likely to die early in a given year.
But just being overweight more than doubles the danger of getting Type 2 diabetes, as well as raising the risk of osteoarthritis by a third, the odds of getting asthma by 28 per cent, of having high blood pressure by 50 per cent and the risk of heart failure by 16 per cent.
Researchers, who used anonymous medical records to track people’s health over a decade, divided them into five groups based on their body mass index (BMI), which is calculated by dividing weight by height. The results, presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Glasgow, show the heaviest people were 50 per cent more likely to die early in a given year
The risks extended even to the lowest obesity category, with people with a BMI of 30 to 34.9 five times more likely to suffer from Type 2 diabetes and sleep apnoea – a sleep condition linked to snoring which can lead to a heart attack or stroke.
Obese people at the lower end of the scale were a third more likely to suffer angina and had eight per cent higher odds of suffering a mini-stroke or a full stroke.
They also had a 70 per cent higher risk of heart failure and a 60 per cent greater risk of chronic kidney disease. The chances of having high blood pressure and cholesterol were at least double in this group.
The severely obese, who make up about three per cent of the population, had a risk of Type 2 diabetes more than 12 times higher than that of a normal-weight person, and their risk of sleep apnoea was almost 22 times higher.
Among the 12 medical conditions, Type 2 diabetes and sleep apnoea were most strongly linked to people’s weight.
Men were more at risk than women, and having previous health conditions raised the risk of developing new ones.
Study co-author Dr Christiane Lundegaard Haase, of healthcare firm Novo Nordisk, said: ‘With the number of people living with obesity almost tripling worldwide over the past 30 years, our findings have serious implications for public health.’
Professor Nick Finer, a senior obesity scientist at Novo Nordisk and honorary clinical professor at University College London, said: ‘The “real worldness” of this research makes it compelling.
‘These are phenomenal risk factors – a 12-fold increased risk for Type 2 diabetes is staggering. GPs not wanting to broach the issue of being overweight is still an issue. It is changing for the better but the scale of the challenge is daunting for doctors.’
He added: ‘People should know what their BMI is and shouldn’t reassure themselves they are just a little bit overweight and it is all right. We know the risks rise even in the slightly overweight range for some of these conditions.’
Being overweight can cause diabetes by making the body resistant to insulin, resulting in abnormally high blood sugar levels.
Sleep apnoea is caused when fatty tissue builds up in the neck, blocking a person’s airway at night and caused them to wake often.
The effects of obesity were also seen for osteoarthritis, which can occur when too much body weight puts pressure on the joints, damaging cartilage.
Compared with a person of a healthy weight, an overweight person was found to have a 34 per cent higher risk of osteoarthritis, rising to two-thirds among the obese.
The risk of early death was only seen in the study once people reached the second and third stages of obesity – a BMI of 35 to 45.
The severely obese, who make up about three per cent of the population, had a risk of Type 2 diabetes more than 12 times higher than that of a normal-weight person, and their risk of sleep apnoea was almost 22 times higher
Caroline Cerny, of the Obesity Health Alliance, said: ‘These findings are hugely worrying. Obesity can have serious implications for long-term health, making it all the more vital that we help people be a healthy weight.’
Victoria Taylor, of the British Heart Foundation, said: ‘It’s a well-known fact obesity can seriously increase your risk of developing heart and circulatory diseases, as well as Type 2 diabetes.
Despite this, more than a quarter of UK adults are obese. It’s something we urgently need action on.’
The BMI system is used around the world to give a general guide to healthy weight.
But it is not without its critics. Some experts say it is a ‘blunt tool’ which does not distinguish muscle, which is heavier than fat, meaning healthy well-built athletes such as rugby players can appear obese.